[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 189 (Friday, September 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59639-59641]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23676]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-R-2012-N095; 1265-0000-10137-S3]
Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Bear Lake County, ID and
Oxford Slough Waterfowl Production Area, Franklin and Bannock Counties,
ID; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of our draft comprehensive conservation plan and
environmental assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for the Bear Lake National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR, Refuge), 7 miles south of Montpelier, Idaho; the
Refuge-managed Thomas Fork Unit (Unit) in Montpelier; and the Oxford
Slough Waterfowl Production Area (WPA) in Oxford, Idaho, for public
review and comment. The Draft CCP/EA describes our proposal for
managing the Refuge for the next 15 years.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we need to receive your written
comments by October 29, 2012.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, requests for more information, or
requests for copies by any of the following methods. You may request a
hard copy or a CD-ROM of the documents.
Email: FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov. Include ``Bear Lake NWR CCP''
in the subject line.
Fax: Attn: Annette de Knijf, Refuge Manager, 208-847-1757.
U.S. Mail: Annette de Knijf, Refuge Manager, Bear Lake NWR, Box 9,
Montpelier, ID 83254.
Web site: http://www.fws.gov/bearlake/refuge_planning.html; select
``Contact Us.''
In-Person Drop-off, Viewing or Pickup: You may drop off comments
during regular business hours at Refuge Headquarters at 322 North 4th
St. (Oregon Trail Center), Montpelier, ID.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annette de Knijf, Refuge Manager, 208-
847-1757.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process at Bear Lake NWR and
Oxford Slough WPA. We started this process through a notice in the
Federal Register (75 FR 35829; June 23, 2010).
Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Bear Lake NWR was established in 1968 and is located in Bear Lake
County, near the community of Montpelier, in southeast Idaho. The
Refuge lies in Bear Lake Valley at approximately 5,925 feet in
elevation in the historic location of Dingle Swamp. The Thomas Fork
Unit is a 1,015-acre tract of land managed by the Refuge and situated
at an elevation of 6,060 feet, approximately 20 miles east of
Montpelier, Idaho, along U.S. Hwy. 30, near Border, Wyoming. The Unit's
eastern boundary is the Wyoming State line. It contains upland and wet
meadows used by sandhill cranes, and stream habitat important to the
conservation of Bonneville cutthroat trout.
The Refuge is composed of a 16,000-acre emergent marsh, 1,200 acres
of uplands, 550 acres of wet meadows, and 5 miles of riparian streams.
Approximately 100 species of migratory birds nest at Bear Lake NWR,
including large concentrations of colonial waterbirds, and many other
species of wildlife utilize the Refuge during various periods of the
year. In the early 1900s, the Telluride Canal Company substantially
modified the natural hydrology of the former Dingle Swamp by diverting
Bear River to flow into Bear Lake for irrigation storage. The indirect
effects were numerous and significantly altered the hydrology and
ecological processes of the Bear Lake Watershed.
Oxford Slough Waterfowl Production Area
Oxford Slough is the only waterfowl production area in the
Service's Pacific Northwest region. It is located 10 miles north of
Preston, Idaho, abutting the small town of Oxford in the Cache Valley.
Oxford Slough is the drainage for Oxford and Deep Creeks, as well as
other streams and creeks in the surrounding mountain ranges. Oxford
Slough WPA provides valuable foraging habitat for species such as
cranes, geese,
[[Page 59640]]
Franklin's gulls, and white-faced ibis, and nesting habitat for many
shorebird species.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Refuge Administration Act), as amended by the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, requires us to
develop a CCP for each national wildlife refuge. The purpose for
developing a CCP is to provide refuge managers with a 15-year plan for
achieving refuge purposes and contributing toward the mission of the
National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), consistent with sound
principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal
mandates, such as the National Environmental Policy Act, and our
policies. In addition to outlining broad management direction on
conserving wildlife and their habitats, CCPs identify compatible
wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities available to the public,
including opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and
photography, and environmental education and interpretation. We will
review and update the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with
the Refuge Administration Act.
Public Outreach
We began public outreach in June 2010 by publishing a Notice of
Intent in the Federal Register announcing our intent to prepare a CCP/
EA and inviting public comments; in addition, we distributed Planning
Update 1 to our mailing list and public outlets. On July 1, 2010, we
held a public scoping meeting in Montpelier, Idaho, to meet with the
public and obtain comments. The meeting was announced through local
media outlets, on the Refuge's Web site, and in Planning Update 1. The
initial public scoping period ended on July 23, 2010, and all comments
were considered and evaluated. In November 2010, we distributed
Planning Update 2, which included a summary of the comments we
received, a planning schedule, and a description of the CCP's scope.
CCP Alternatives We Are Considering
During the public scoping process, we, along with other
governmental agencies, Tribes, and the public, raised several issues
which our Draft CCP/EA addresses. To address these issues, we developed
and evaluated the following alternatives, summarized below:
Alternative 1 (No-Action)
This alternative represents current management.
Wildlife and Habitat: Under Alternative 1, the current emphasis on
consistent availability of quality wetlands and croplands would
continue. High-quality marsh habitat would continue to be provided for
waterfowl and colonial waterbirds. Management would primarily occur on
Refuge lands, but the Refuge would continue to seek cooperative
agreements and partnerships to improve habitats and promote the
application of best management practices for farming, haying, pesticide
application, and water management.
The Refuge's meadows and uplands would be cooperatively hayed and
farmed to provide forage and short-grass habitat for migratory birds
such as the sandhill crane and Canada goose. Farming would occur on
approximately 214 acres annually at Bear Lake, Thomas Fork, and Oxford
Slough WPA. Approximately 3,500 acres of wet meadow, upland meadow, and
shallow emergent habitat (including about 90 percent of meadow habitat
at Bear Lake NWR) would be hayed annually to provide green browse for
migratory birds and other wildlife.
Public Use: Bear Lake NWR and Oxford Slough WPA would remain open
to public use. The Thomas Fork Unit would remain closed to all public
use. 7,450 acres (40 percent) of Bear Lake NWR would be open for
waterfowl hunting during the State season. Two accessible hunting
blinds would continue to be available at Bear Lake NWR from October to
January. To facilitate waterfowl hunting, motorized and non-motorized
boats would still be allowed September 20 to January 15 in the Salt
Meadow, the Rainbow Sub-Impoundment, and the Rainbow Units, as well as
in the Merkley Lake Unit, and the Mud Lake Unit as far south as the
buoys. The Refuge would remain open for small game and upland bird
hunting (gray partridge, grouse, ring-necked pheasant, and
cottontails). On Bear Lake NWR, the Outlet Canal north of the former
Paris Dike and Paris Dike south to its former location, and the area
north of the Lifton Pumping Station would remain open to pole-and-line
fishing for carp, perch, and trout, and bow fishing for carp. Oxford
Slough WPA would remain open to hunting and trapping in accordance with
State regulations. There are no fishing opportunities at the WPA.
Alternative 2
Wildlife and Habitat: This alternative would decrease emphasis on
waterfowl production, and increase emphasis on maximizing all waterbird
productivity, through intensively manipulating seasonal water levels to
mimic the varied hydrology of the historic Dingle Swamp. The Refuge
would still provide sizeable emergent marsh habitats for waterfowl and
colonial birds through the summer and fall, but there would be a
substantial increase in temporarily flooded (spring and fall) wetlands.
All grain farming (214 acres) and haying (3,533 acres) would be
discontinued in the first year (2013) of CCP implementation. Former
cropland and hayed areas would be restored to native wet meadow or
grassland communities and flooded in spring and fall to provide
seasonal and temporary wetlands for waterbirds. The Refuge would study
the feasibility of reducing sediment loads in the Mud Lake Complex and
make recommendations by 2020 to reduce the sedimentation rate of Bear
River water diversions and to better exclude carp from Refuge wetlands.
Upland and riparian management activities would increase considerably
from Alternative 1.
Public Use: On Bear Lake NWR, increased emphasis would be placed on
nonconsumptive, compatible wildlife-dependent recreation compared to
Alternative 1, while making modest improvements to hunting and fishing
opportunities. Bear Lake NWR hunting areas would alternate every five
years from the east side (current hunt area, 7,450 acres) to the west
side of the Outlet Canal (the Bloomington and Bunn Lake units,
currently closed to hunting, 5,800 acres). An additional accessible
hunting blind (3 total) and increased Youth Hunt opportunities would be
provided. Upland hunting would continue as in Alternative 1. Fishing
opportunities would be increased by allowing boat access to the Mud
Lake Unit from September 1 until freeze-up. Improved signage and small
piers or fishing platforms would be constructed along the Outlet Canal
north of the Paris Dike. As in Alternative 1, the Thomas Fork Unit
would remain closed to all public access, and Oxford Slough WPA would
remain open to hunting and trapping.
Within 5 years of CCP completion, plans for a combined Refuge
office and visitor contact station on or near the Refuge would be
completed, and funding would be sought to construct these facilities.
Up to eight vehicle turnouts with interpretive panels would be
constructed along Merkley Lake
[[Page 59641]]
Road, overlooking the Mud Lake Unit. A boardwalk and observation
platform would be constructed on the southeast border of the Refuge
along North Beach Road. A step-down plan for these facilities would be
completed within 2 years of CCP completion. A new staff position would
be dedicated to public outreach, and developing and delivering on-site
interpretive and environmental education programs to local schools and
community groups.
Alternative 3 (Preferred Alternative)
Wildlife and Habitat: Alternative 3, the Service's Preferred
Alternative, would emphasize partially restoring long-term habitat
function, providing an acceptable range of natural habitat variability,
increasing habitat resilience in the face of external stress, and
increasing the long-term vigor of wildlife populations. While the
Refuge would continue to provide breeding and fall migration habitat
for waterfowl, the emphasis would be on providing a range of habitats,
not only for waterfowl, but other migratory waterbirds. Management
actions and water-level manipulations would simulate natural
``drought,'' ``normal,'' or ``flood'' scenarios, and provide a variety
of permanent, semi-permanent, seasonal, and temporary wetland habitats.
The acreage of each habitat would vary annually within each unit, but
the total Refuge acreage of each habitat would remain the same from
year to year. Compared to Alternative 1, there would be a moderate
increase in spring and fall seasonal and moist soil wetland habitats.
Approximately 154 acres of small grain and legume crops would continue
to be cultivated for waterfowl and other key wildlife species. Haying
would be reduced to 1,492 acres (44 percent of current hayed acres),
and 2,041 acres of previously hayed habitats would be restored or
rehabilitated to native wet meadow or upland grass habitats by 2027.
The Refuge would phase the reduction in haying over three 5-year
cycles: 2013-2017; 2018-2022; and 2023-2027. An approximate 60:40 ratio
of hayed-to-unhayed meadow would be managed for goose brooding and
foraging areas. As in Alternative 2, the Refuge would study the
feasibility of reducing sediment loads in the Mud Lake Complex and make
recommendations by 2020 to reduce the sedimentation rate of Bear River
water diversions and better exclude carp from Refuge wetlands. As in
Alternative 2, upland and riparian management activity would increase
considerably from Alternative 1.
Hunting and Fishing: The waterfowl and upland hunting program at
Bear Lake NWR would continue to be managed as described in Alternative
1. Compatible fishing opportunities would be expanded through
construction of improved signage and small piers or fishing platforms
along the Outlet Canal north of the Paris Dike. Fishing would also be
allowed from the banks along Merkley Lake Road, consistent with State
regulations. As in Alternatives 1 and 2, the Thomas Fork Unit would
remain closed to all public access, but compatible hunting and trapping
would remain open at Oxford Slough WPA.
Opportunities for observation and education would improve as
additional facilities are developed, and a more diverse array of
wetland habitats allows a wider variety of waterbirds and other species
to flourish. Two turn-out parking areas (one with an observation
platform and spotting scope) would be constructed along Merkley Lake
Road, above the Mud Lake Unit. As in Alternative 2, a boardwalk and
viewing platform would be constructed on the southeast border of the
Refuge along North Beach Road; plans for a combined Refuge office and
visitor contact station on or near the Refuge would be completed within
5 years of CCP completion, and funding would be sought to construct
these facilities; a new staff position would be dedicated to public
outreach, and developing and delivering on-site interpretive and
environmental education programs to local schools and community groups.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to the information in ADDRESSES, you can view copies of
the Draft CCP/EA on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/bearlake/refuge_planning.html, and printed copies will be available for review
at the following libraries: Bear Lake County Library, 138 North 6th
Street, Montpelier, ID 83254; Larsen-Sant Public Library, 109 South 1st
East, Preston, ID 83263.
Next Steps
After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and
address them in a final CCP and decision document.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your identifying information from
the public, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Dated: May 3, 2012.
Jason Holm,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Region, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. 2012-23676 Filed 9-27-12; 8:45 am]
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